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The Green Bay Packers’ plan seems to involve taking a defensive lineman with their first-round pick. After a quiet free agency period in this area of clear short- and long-term need, it would be huge for the Packers to add an edge rusher high in the draft—something general manager Brian Gutekunst has already done with Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness in the past.
According to A to Z Sports’ Destin Adams, James Pearce Jr. from the Tennessee Vols could be the option with the 23rd overall pick.
“The Packers were connected to multiple edge rushers in the offseason but couldn’t land any of them. Just a year ago, James Pearce was being mentioned as an option to be the first overall pick, but some character concerns and some production regression in 2024 has dropped his stock quite a bit. The talent is clearly there, though, so if the Packers can get some answers to the questions surrounding his character, he could end up being a massive steal.”
Pearce Jr. formally met with the Packers at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, so the interest from Green Bay is real.
He tested extremely well, with an elite speed grade and good explosion and size, even though he’s certainly lighter at 245 lbs than the Packers tend to like in defensive ends.
Despite some regression in 2024, the Vols star had a highly productive college career. He had 17.5 sacks in the last two seasons at Tennessee, including 10 in 2023.
The big question is if Pearce will be available when the Packers are on the clock. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, he is the 20th prospect in the class, the sixth edge defender. His peak was the 11th position.
Travis May’s scouting profile stressed that Pearce has a truly elite pass rush skill set, length and athletic range, plus incredible propensity to generate tackles for loss. However, his play strength is inconsistent, he misses tackles in the run game, and there are questions about his every-down high motor.
